Maximum principles for a family of nonlocal boundary value problems (Q2388395)

Consider a family of three-point nonlocal boundary value problems (BVPs) \[ \sum_{j=0}^n \alpha_j(m)u(m+j)=\Delta^nu(m)=0,\quad m=0,\dots,b-n; \] \[ u(0)=0,\dots,u(n-2)=0,\quad u(m_1)=u(b), \] where \(m_1\) and \(b\) are positive integers such that \(n-2\leq m_1<b\). For the above mentioned BVPs and for more finite difference equation, the author obtains a maximum principle and determines sign properties of the corresponding Green function. Also, it is shown that the methods used for two-point disconjugacy or right-disfocality results apply to this family of three-point boundary value problems.